Researchers
have found a link between brain tumors in children and their parents’ exposure
to diesel exhaust fumes before birth.
Researchers have found a link
between brain tumors in children and their parents’ exposure to diesel exhaust
fumes before birth.
The study, published this month
in the International Journal of Cancer, was conducted by
researchers at The University of Western Australia-affiliated Western
Australian Institute for Medical Research (WAIMR) and the Telethon Institute
for Child Health Research (TICHR).
Childhood brain tumor is the
leading cause of cancer death in children and most occur before the age of
five. Lead author Assistant Professor Susan Peters said while malignant brain
tumors were recognized as the leading cause of cancer mortality in children,
the risk factors for childhood brain tumors, despite decades of research, were
largely unknown.
“This work on the occupational
hazards faced by parents of children with brain tumors was part of a wider
study led by TICHR, which also looked at other factors which may be involved in
children developing brain tumors,” Peters said.
The research team gathered data
from parents with children in all ten pediatric oncology units across
Australia. Parents of 306 children with childhood brain tumors and 950 people
in the control group completed detailed occupational histories.
Fathers who worked near
diesel-powered equipment including cars, trucks, other heavy machinery, and
generators at about the time of conception had children who faced an increased
risk of developing a childhood brain tumor. There was also an increased risk
for mothers exposed to diesel exhaust fumes any time before the birth of their
child.
Diesel fumes – listed as a human
carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer – were the only
engine exhaust fumes found to have a link to childhood brain tumor in their
study.
The researchers are now looking
at other occupational exposures, including pesticides and solvents, and their
possible link to childhood brain tumors.
The article can be found at: Peters S et al. (2012) Parental
Occupational Exposure to Engine Exhausts and Childhood Brain Tumours.
Source: UWA;
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